


Cold Sheets

by Alidravana



Category: James Bond (Craig movies), London Spy
Genre: Angst, Hurt/Comfort, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-26
Updated: 2020-03-05
Packaged: 2021-02-27 22:13:52
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,624
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22913041
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Alidravana/pseuds/Alidravana
Summary: Inspired by SYML's 'Where's My Love?'.  James begins to court Q but a serious injury reveals more information than Q was ready to disclose.  Backstory from London Spy, brief mentions of Q's past relationship (Danny Holt/Alex Turner).
Relationships: Danny Holt/Alex Turner, James Bond/Q
Comments: 6
Kudos: 65





	1. But where's my love.

Q woke up cold and alone, his bare toes recoiling as they touched the bottom of his duvet. Rolling over, Q wiggled his arm out of the tangled layers of sheets to hit the button on the blaring alarm clock and quickly pulled his arm back under the covers, trying to keep the tiniest of heat in. But it was a hopeless cause as the chill of the morning air crept into his bedroom. 

Groaning, Q pushed himself to a sitting position. He reached blindly towards his nightstand, fumbling around for his glasses and his smartphone. Q’s hand brushed over his novel, his pen, and several other indistinguishable items, before grasping the edge of his frames. Sliding his glasses on, he quickly located his phone and was relieved to see that he hadn’t accidentally turned the ringer off. No new messages, meaning nothing had blown up and R was handling 009's mission fine. He sighed, looking at the tidy sheets on the other side of his rather large sized bed.

Loneliness wasn't a new feeling. It had been years since he had been in a serious enough relationship to warrant a bed partner coming back to his place. Now that definitely doesn't mean that he's been celibate since Alex, but a quick fuck in a bar restroom doesn't lead to a meaningful anything.

He likely had blown his one opportunity the previous night. It had been their third date, but when the two of them stumbled back to his flat after having a tad too much wine with dinner, he completely froze. It was evident that they wanted the night to continue, as kisses were strategically placed down the side of his neck and some groping took place from both parties that probably shouldn't have been done in the sight of his floor mates. But he froze. 

Stupid, stupid, Q thought to himself, leaning forward and gripping his curly, wild hair hard with both hands. He had straightened his clothes, stuck his hand out, thanked his date for the evening, and then scurried back into his flat. It actually reminded him of his first few dates with Alex, meanwhile he was supposed to be the experienced, confident Quartermaster. What a joke. And now he had to go into work today and hopefully avoid any awkward encounters.

All of a sudden, Q heard Ada scratching and meowing at his bedroom door. Opening the door, a large and fluffy grey cat streaked through and jumped up on his bed. She crawled right into Q’s lap demanding his immediate attention; bringing Q out of his depressing thoughts, at least for the time being. Sighing, Q stood up and started getting ready for the day. It could be worse.

xxxxx

“I just don’t know what went wrong,” Bond said, talking with Moneypenny as they waited for M to indicate that he was ready for them. He had planted himself on the corner of her desk and passed her a mocha latte with extra chocolate shavings, from the new hipster coffee place on the corner that the Q branch was taking over in mass. He took a long sip from his Columbian dark roast, black of course, and thought back to the previous night.

Moneypenny nodded, frowning slightly as she received her bribe and waiting to hear the rest of the story. Bond had been bringing her special drinks and treats in exchange for tips and suggestions on how to woo Q. It had been their third date last night, and Moneypenny had been convinced that her ideas would lead to the two finally hooking up.

“We went to that exhibit that you suggested at the museum, followed with a late dinner at Vincenzo’s, and headed back to his place,” Bond relayed, thinking back to how much Q lit up with excitement when they entered the Natural History Museum. “Things seemed to be…progressing in the right direction,” he smirked, remembering the cute little noises came from Q as they made out in front of his flat. But then he frowned, whispering in a quieter tone, not wanting anyone to overhear them. “But then, he shook my hand, Moneypenny!”

“He shook your hand?” Moneypenny replied incredulously. That was extremely strange. Yes, Q seemed to be a very reserved person, wearing ridiculously oversized cardigans and drinking Earl Grey like he was forty years older than his actual years, but between office gossip and what Q had confided in her, he definitely wasn’t a prude. 

“He shook my hand,” Bond repeated, still having trouble believing it himself. “One moment his hand is on my –“ he quickly cut off what he was going to say as M appeared in the waiting room and motioned him and Moneypenny into his office.

“I want all the details,” Moneypenny whispered to Bond as they entered M’s office. Bond nodded, surprised at the serious tone of her voice but his thoughts of last night were quickly forgotten as M started to berate him for one too many explosions on his last covert mission. It was going to be a long day.

xxxxx

Q took a deep breath, attempting to clear his mind from thoughts of his screw up the night before as he was handling very explosive material. It was a new explosive powder that one of his minions in the Chemistry department had recently created, undetectable from police dogs and most airport scanners, due to the miniscule amount required to set off a rather violent explosion.

As head of the Q-branch, Q didn’t normally get to partake in newer research initiatives, but with R finishing up 009’s mission, and his personal expertise with wrist devices, he volunteered to assist Charles with running a few tests. So here he was, lab coat and all, bent over at an incredibly awkward angle placing each granule one by one into the etchings in the watch face when Bond suddenly appeared looking over his shoulder.

“Fuck,” Q swore, his hand shaking as he set down his tools and took a step back from his workspace. “I know you 00s enjoy sneaking up on people, but maybe don’t do it to those who are working with bloody explosives!” He turned around to look at Bond, who was surprisingly looking contrite for startling him. Q shook his head, sent an apologetic look in Charles’ direction, and grabbed Bond’s arm, pulling them both away from the detonation area.

“Now, 007, care to tell me why you felt the need to risk blowing up this lab?” Q asked Bond, twiddling with his own watch as he waited for Bond’s excuse. He was desperately hoping that the answer wasn’t to discuss what had happened the previous night.

“I thought we should discuss this next mission in detail, perhaps in your office over tea?” Bond replied, not wanting to come out and ask Q what the hell had happened the night previously. He had noticed that the other scientist seemed quite interested in their conversation, as he had stopped hovering over his microscope, and was taking rather long and very noticeable glances over at the two of them. Bond rather doubted that Q would want his whole department know that they had gone on a few dates. 

“Um, sure,” Q replied, relief evident in his tone that Bond hadn’t brought up his behaviour from the previous night. While he wasn’t embarrassed of their relationship, or dating, or whatever it was now, he’d rather not have that conversation in front of another co-worker. And his people loved to gossip. “However 007, I shouldn’t need to remind you that 00s aren’t allowed in the research labs,” Q added, adjusting his lab coat and straightening his back, trying to possess the confidence of his position. “For your own safety and…”

But Q wasn’t allowed to finish his sentence. He could only watch in horror as Charles accidentally hit the detonation button on the side of the watch. And then everything went dark.


	2. But I break that way

When Q woke, it was in pain. Everything hurt. There was an excruciating pain in his upper left thigh but he couldn’t move to see what was wrong. There was a heavy weight on top of him, making it difficult for him to breath. The room was full of smoke and his ears wouldn’t stop ringing. He tried to look around, but his glasses must have flown off when Bond tackled him. His mind slowly processed that thought. When Bond tackled him…oh my god….is Bond okay? That must be Bond’s weight that he feels on top of him. 

“Bond?” Q said out loud, trying to wake the man on top of him. “Bond!” he shouted, grasping the man’s shoulder and giving it a rough shake. But there was no response.

Okay, Q thought to himself. He needed to get help. He braced himself and then gripped Bond’s shoulders and slowly rolled him to the ground next to him, groaning loudly at the pain the movement caused. Using the edge of what was a desk behind him, Q pulled himself to a seated position. Ignoring his own injury and the alarming pool of blood below it, Q leaned over to check Bond’s pulse. As soon as his fingers touched Bond’s neck, Bond’s eyes opened.

“Oh thank God,” Q said, bending to kiss Bond thoroughly on the lips. “Are you okay?” He said worriedly, gently feeling around Bond’s head to see if there was any signs of a head injury. Q couldn’t feel any bumps and with the exception of a rather large cut on Bond’s hand, he couldn’t see any visible causes for concern. 

Bond sat up slowly, slightly surprised by Q’s kiss. He remembered Q going uncharacteristically quiet and sensing danger, tackling Q towards the back of the room. He must have blacked out briefly, but now that he was alert, he was quickly assessing the situation. 

He was fine. A slight cut on his hand and some bruising, but overall fine. Charles was definitely not a concern. There was a rather large blood splatter up the other side of the lab, and Bond did not hear any lingering breaths. But Q was another matter. There was a jagged piece of metal lodged in his left leg, and a disturbing amount of blood beneath it.

“Shit,” Bond said, quickly pulling off his belt to make a temporary tourniquet. “I’m sorry Q, this is going to hurt a bit,” Bond said, as he tightened the belt around the upper part of Q’s thigh. 

“Fuck!” Q swore loudly, as Bond increased the pressure around his leg, almost passing out from the increased pain that radiated up his body. Panting, it took him a minute before realizing that Bond was trying to examine his injury further. It took all his remaining strength to push Bond away, away from his blood. 

Bond looked at him in surprise. Q had collapsed back again the lab wall, looking a complete wreck. But instead of letting Bond help him, he still had his elbow up, arm bent, as if protecting himself from Bond. “I’m trying to help you Q,” Bond said gently, slowly shuffling closer to his co-worker. “Just let me help you.”

Q groaned. This is why he didn’t want to continue their intimacy the previous night. He really wasn’t ready to reveal this piece of information yet. But Bond continued to inch closer and Q wasn’t sure if he could keep him away. He was a 00 agent after all. “You need gloves,” Q said quietly, refusing to look Bond in the eyes. He could feel tears sliding down his cheeks. He wasn’t sure if they were from the pain or from his embarrassment. “I’m positive.”

Bond was now close enough to wipe some of the wetness from Q’s cheeks with a gentle brush of his hand. “It will be fine Q, I’ve dealt with nastier situations than this.” Bond briefly thought of the other man in the room, now likely a pile of barely identifiable body parts, before refocusing on Q’s injury.

“Oh, stop being so daft, James! I’m HIV positive,” Q blurted out, dismayed by his choice of words. “Please, please go get a pair of medical gloves,” he begged, not wanting to put his friend in danger.

Bond rocked back onto his heels, shocked by Q’s admission. He was seldom speechless, but he found himself unable to say anything in response. Pushing himself to his feet, Bond headed out of the lab and motioned for the medical team that had finally made their way to the lab to go in. 

xxxxx

Q was quite happy to find himself in much less pain when he regained consciousness the second time. Between the bright lights and sterile white walls, along with the numbness that he was feeling throughout his body, helped Q quickly conclude that he was somewhere within the medical component at M16.

Fumbling at the power buttons for his bed, since his glasses seemed to be no where in proximity, Q was finally able to slowly raise himself to a more reclined, sitting position. He startled slightly when he noticed a slight figure sleeping in the chair at the foot of the bed. “Eve?” Q asked quietly, making a logical guess as to the identity of his guest. He tried squinting, but between his piss poor eyesight and whatever wonderful drugs they had him on, all he could see was a fuzzy outline of a female. 

Eve startled awake. “Q!” She exclaimed, perhaps a little too loudly for the quiet room, as a nurse stuck her head into the private room to see the source of the commotion. Eve waved the nurse off and reached into her purse to pass Q his glasses.

Q was very relieved to be able to see again. He frowned however, as he could now see that his thigh was covered in gauze, his leg propped up awkwardly on some pillows to help lessen the swelling. And there was no James in sight. 

“Charles?” Q asked tentatively, feeling horrible that he hadn’t asked earlier in the lab. He had a feeling the response wasn’t going to be good. The explosive that they had been working with was miniscule, but powerful.

“He didn’t make it,” Eve said, with a small head shake. “There was nothing that could have been done for him.”

Q sighed. His minions were supposed to be safe in the office. He will have to bump lab safety to the top of his to-do-list. “And…” Q paused, unsure how to ask where Bond was. Did they have the type of relationship that meant Bond should be there with him? Or did Q scare him off when he revealed his status?

“James got called away on a mission,” Eve replied, filling in the blanks. She could tell that Q was trying to find the best way to ask discreetly. “Why don’t you sit back, and we’ll get the doctor to stop by and check on you?” she said, as she pushed the call button. She was hoping that Q wasn’t going to ask for any more details, like how Bond practically jumped on the first mission out of the country when one became available.

Q just nodded, sensing that Eve wasn’t telling him the whole truth but didn’t want to pry. “Thanks for being here,” Q said instead, fiddling with his edge of his blanket. “It means a lot to me,” he added honestly. And it really did. Eve had become quite the friend and confidante since he was promoted to Quartermaster.

Eve reached over and grabbed his hand. “That’s what friend’s do,” she replied. The two of them sat in silence, holding hands and waiting for the doctor’s arrival.


End file.
